Ever so slowly, I lowered my mouth to the lime. As I did so, I felt the brush of her lips on mine.
Just a touch. Just a breath, and it ignited fire in my veins.
And at that moment, I forgot a lot. My heart stopped, my breathing quit, my thoughts cea...
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The next morning, I awoke to a light headache. But there was a water bottle on the nightstand next to me, and Augustus was nowhere in sight.
Wincing as I sat up, I reached for the bottle and began to open it right as the hotel room door flew open.
"Good morning," my enemy said, one of those infuriating smiles lighting his features. I glanced down at the food in his hand, and he brought it to my bed. "I got you this."
"Thank you, truly, but I'm not-"
"If you say you're not hungry, I'll throw you out of this hotel room window."
I chuckled hoarsely, still staring at the food laid before me. There were numerous amounts of fruits along with eggs, bacon, a yogurt parfait, and even something that looked like cranberry juice in a small, plastic cup.
"I can't eat all of this," I muttered.
"Try. Whatever you don't finish, you can give it to me."
This had to have been the nicest thing anyone had ever done for me. And why was it by the hands of Augustus?
"Thank you, but you really didn't have to do this."
He shrugged, heading toward the bathroom. "I didn't mind." He threw me a smirk. "You're going to need energy if you want to beat me, you know."
I rolled my eyes, but a small smile lifted the corners of my lips. "I could beat you on an empty stomach."
His smirk faltered. If I hadn't been looking so closely at his features, I might have missed it. "That's what I'm afraid of."
✦✧✦✧
Today, the ICF had planned out a "field trip" in order to familiarize ourselves and our groups with the California area. We all loaded onto the busses to head to a historical museum. They advised us to sit with our partners.
"Em-bear!" Callum exclaimed, sliding in next to me. "How are you today?"
I felt a small smile light my face, despite the dull ache in my head. Luckily, it was slowly going away, thank to all the food I ate this morning. "I'm good. How are you?"
An irresistible grin tilted his mouth upward. "Em-azing."
I rolled my eyes. "Please, spare me."
"You know you love it." He winked and I had to stifle my chuckle.
The bus turned on, saving me from a response. I rested my head against the window, savoring the deep lull of the engine as we began to drive.
My eyes closed slightly, and before I knew it, darkness encapsulated my mind.
